Former Leeds Rhinos and New Zealand rugby league international Gary Mercer has joined Harrogate Rugby Club as defence coach.

Mercer, who played rugby league before switching to union as a coach, will join the club alongside newly appointed director of rugby Martyn Wood, who was capped by England.

The former Rhinos captain made more than 150 appearances for Leeds and represented his country 21 times.

Mercer said:

“I’m very much looking forward to taking on the new role of defence coach with the Aces. 

“I am very confident about the team’s future. An excellent plan has been put in place and things are certainly happening at the club.” 

During his career, Mercer also played for Bradford, Warrington and Halifax at rugby league.

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He had a spell as coach at Halifax before switching codes to union where he went on to coach Yorkshire Carnegie, Glasgow Warriors and Biggar in Scotland.

Mercer will continue his role as head of rugby and tutor at Ashville College while coaching at Harrogate.

Martyn Wood said:

“Gary Mercer has incredible experience in both codes at club and international level, and we will be drawing upon his knowledge to produce the required step-change in our defence. 

“Having Gary join us will add a new range of skills to our coaching set-up. Working alongside our existing head coach Sam Fox, we are expecting great things.” 

Harrogate Borough Council has refused plans to build five houses at the Lamb and Flag pub in Bishop Monkton.

The proposal was tabled by Carol and Trevor Pawson for the 200-year-old pub, which also had a bed and breakfast.

As part of the plan, two houses would be created by converting the pub itself and another would be created at the barn next door.

A further two homes would be built at the car park at the back of the pub.

However, council officials have refused the application on the grounds that “insufficient marketing” has been done to demonstrate that the pub could not be used for community use.

Officers added in a decision notice that two of the houses on the car park are outside the development limits.

Officials said:

“Insufficient marketing has been carried to demonstrate that in the absence of any use as a public house there is no alternative community use for which the property may be suitable and the proposed use of the public house as two dwellings consequently is in conflict with Policy HP8 of the Harrogate District Local Plan 2014-2035.”

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Bishop Monkton, which the Domesday Book referred to as the Tun of the monks, has seen a significant increase in residential development in recent years.

Despite new developments and growing populations, village pubs have found it difficult to survive.

At one time, there were seven pubs within Bishop Monkton’s parish boundaries but it is now currently served by just the Mason’s Arms.

Five Harrogate firefighters could lose their jobs under plans to halve the number of fire engines operating in the town overnight,

The Stray Ferret revealed yesterday proposals for the station on Skipton Road to operate just one fire engine at night, as opposed to the current two.

North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Zoë Metcalfe has suggested the move as part of a three-month consultation on proposed changes to fire and rescue services.

The station would continue to be resourced for two fire engines during the day but it would have just one appliance from 10pm to 9am, when fewer incidents usually occur.

The move would also see the station lose its tactical response vehicle, which would be moved to an on-call station elsewhere in the county, and a self-rostering staffing system introduced.

At a commissioner public accountability meeting today, Jonathan Foster, interim chief fire officer at North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue, said the reduction in posts would come from either retirements or redeployments.

He said:

“We would look towards the retirement profile, we would look towards redeployment opportunities and we would look also towards the growth opportunities in prevention and protection areas.

“I must also say that this is a progressive approach. There are some really good opportunities for our firefighters to advance into other areas if they chose to. If not, that is fine.

“There are a range of different alternatives there which will help and we will work very closely with representatives bodies to manage this process in the best way that we can.”

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Mr Foster added that the changes were justified as the service’s modelling showed peak times were between 9am and 10pm.

The changes are part of Ms Metcalfe’s Risk and Resource Model 2022-2025, which sets out how the fire service will deploy its people, equipment and resources.

Fire officials told today’s meeting that the proposals would help to save £1.5 million a year from 2025.

Mr Foster said:

“I stress this very much so, this is about reinvestment back into the on-call duty system to improve overall availability and then also to reinvest in protection and prevention activities so that we can protect the people of North Yorkshire and City of York in a much more effective manner.”

Conservative councillor Victoria Oldham has taken office as the final mayor of the Harrogate borough as other top roles were handed out during an official ceremony.

Cllr Oldham said it was her aim to bring “harmony and peace” during her one-year term before Harrogate Borough Council is abolished in April.

She was sworn in at the Royal Hall in Harrogate yesterday and took over from Liberal Democrat councillor Trevor Chapman, who served as mayor for the past 12 months.

Conservative councillor Robert Windass was also made deputy mayor.

Cllr Oldham, who represents the Washburn ward and works as an accountant and farmer, said:

“Throughout the year there will be a need to take stock, but more importantly it is a matter of bringing people together.

“I’d like to thank councillor Trevor Chapman for all of his hard work in the last year.

“I naturally am looking forward to continuing with this civic tradition, albeit until Harrogate Borough Council unfortunately will be no more.”

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Also at yesterday’s meeting, re-elected council leader Richard Cooper appointed councillor Sam Gibbs as cabinet member for environment, waste reduction and recycling.

Cllr Gibbs succeeds councillor Andy Paraskos who was previously a member of the seven-person cabinet.

Rebecca Burnett returns to planning

Cllr Rebecca Burnett, who previously oversaw the creation of the Harrogate district Local Plan as cabinet member for planning, was made chair of the planning committee.

She replaces councillor John Mann, who will remain a committee member.

Newly-elected mayor Cllr Oldham also passed her previous title of chair of the licensing committee to Cllr Ed Darling.

The role of the mayor is to chair full council meetings and represent the borough at ceremonies and events. They also raise money for charities and are required to put their political affiliations aside to be impartial.

Cllr Oldham has chosen Yorkshire Air Ambulance as the first of her nominated charities.

Speaking at yesterday’s meeting, Cllr Cooper said councillor Oldham will be an “outstanding mayor for all of our borough.”

He said:

“During this year she will meet hundreds of community groups, businesses and individuals. They will see in her what many of us have seen since we met her in 2017.

“She will see us out with flair, fun and dedication.”

Cllr Cooper, who will step down as the longest-serving leader of the borough council in April, also said the authority would continue pushing ahead with major projects during its final year before the new North Yorkshire Council takes over.

He said: 

“I pledge to you – on behalf of the cabinet – that this will not be a year of winding down. It will be a year of handover.

“As part of that handover, we continue to have a string of exciting initiatives and projects to take forward.

“And in the cabinet I have appointed, we have a team that can do a great job for the people of the borough.”

Harrogate firefighters believe three separate bin fires in Harrogate last night were started deliberately.

Firefighters were initially called to a fire in a bin on Cambridge Street at 6.25pm, which had been doused on arrival by a member of the public using a coffee cup.

Fire crews then used a hose to cool the bin down.

They were then alerted to another bin fire on Beech Grove an hour later. 

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The fire was put out using a hose reel.

Another deliberate fire was reported in a wheelie bin on Oxford Street at 8pm.The bin was close to commercial properties and fire crews used a hose reel to put out the blaze.

A spokesman for Harrogate fire station said they believed the fires were deliberately started by the same people and have informed the police.

The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade in Harrogate has been given Grade II listed status as part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport has announced six new sites across the country will be given the status.

The Sun Pavilion and Colonnade were constructed in 1933 to designs by Leonard Clarke, the borough surveyor, as part of a £60,000 spa development scheme intended to be one of the finest in Europe.

The classical building with Art Deco details was opened by noted medic Lord Horder of Ashford and the opening ceremony was captured on film by British Pathé. The pavilion was designed as a place to take refreshment and rest after taking exercise or after taking the spa waters in the town centre.

After a period of decline in the 1980s, the site was restored following a campaign led by local citizen Anne Smith and supported by celebrities including author James Herriot.

In 1998, the Sun Pavilion was officially re-opened by Queen Elizabeth II, and in 2018 celebrations were held to mark the 20th anniversary of Her Majesty’s visit.

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“These new listings celebrate the diversity and richness of our heritage overseen by Her Majesty during her 70-year reign, showing how the fabric of the nation has changed and developed.

“These sites cover the length and breadth of the country – from All Saints’ Church near Birmingham, which she opened in 1955 when she was newly crowned, to the high-tech Hampshire Public Records Office, completed in 1993.”

Nigel Huddleston, heritage minister, added:

“These historic sites provide a fantastic opportunity to reflect on how much life in the UK has changed during Her Majesty The Queen’s 70-year reign. Listing them as part of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations is a fitting way to pay tribute to the longevity of her service.”

Plans have been lodged to convert a Harrogate office block into seven flats.

Artium Group has submitted the proposal to Harrogate Borough Council to create the flats at Simpson House, off Clarence Drive.

It would see the vacant offices turned into one one-bedroom, five two-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats.

The developer also plans to use the current 14 car parking spaces and create storage for seven bicycles.

In documents submitted to the council, Artium Group said the proposal would help to make efficient use of the building.

It said:

“The conversion of the building is considered to be entirely appropriate give the lack of any viable interest in retaining the existing employment use. 

“The property is in a highly sustainable location and surrounded by existing buildings which have also been converted in recent years. 

“The provision of additional residential units within a highly sustainable location should therefore be welcomed.”

Harrogate Borough Council will make a decision on the proposal at a later date.

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North Yorkshire Police has said that officers were unable to find anyone with a weapon following reports of gunfire in the Pinewoods last night.

In a statement published just after 11am today, police said that enquiries with residents revealed there had been “no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon”.

Armed officers sealed off the woodland and a police helicopter was deployed shortly after 5pm.

The statement said:

“At 5.01pm yesterday police were called to reports of several “loud bangs” in the Pinewoods area of Harrogate.

“Officers immediately attended and carried out an extensive search in the area. Specialist resources which included a firearms support unit and the police helicopter (NPAS) were brought in to assist.

“Further enquires with the members of the public who made the initial reports confirmed that there had been no sightings of anyone carrying a weapon. Officers concluded their search at just before 7.30pm and no individual

A police spokesman added that they believed the initial report “was made with good intent” and “We take all reports of this nature extremely seriously”.

Numerous residents told the Stray Ferret last night and today they had heard three gunshots.

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Responding to the police statement, one resident remain convinced they heard gunfire.

They also disputed the claim that police, whose Harrogate headquarters is less than a mile away, responded “immediately” and said one man was seen being detained in a police van before being later released.

The woman said:

“I’m surprised by the statement and it should have been communicated last night rather than have residents terrified. We aren’t making this up.”

Passengers were faced with long queues at Leeds Bradford Airport this morning.

Staff worked their way down the queue, which is pictured above at 5.30am, to get people onto their flights.

Passengers reported that people were queuing “all the way through the building”.

It comes as Leeds Bradford Airport recently apologised for the ongoing issue at terminals earlier this week.

One passenger, who did not wish to be named, told the Stray Ferret that staff were doing their best to tackle the problem.

They said:

“There has been significant queues.

“The system is better now, but people should get here early. The staff were really trying their best to get the queues down.”

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The passenger added that those queuing at 5.30am managed to make their flights.

It comes as airports across the country continue to deal with passenger numbers returning to pre-pandemic levels.

Earlier this week, Vincent Hodder, CEO of Leeds Bradford Airport, issued an apology for the queues at terminals.

“I’m sorry for all passengers that have had a negative experience travelling at LBA in recent weeks and want to assure everybody across the region that we have solutions in place to fix these problems as quickly as possible.”

North Yorkshire Police has so far remained silent over gunfire heard at the Pinewoods yesterday.

Armed officers closed off the area after residents reported hearing “very loud” bangs at about 5pm.

A police helicopter circled the 96-acre woodland, which is located a kilometre south of Harrogate town centre, for some time afterwards.

The Stray Ferret contacted the police for information last night, but 15 hours after the incident, no information has been released.

Officers at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road said only that a ‘containment exercise’ was being carried out. Armed police were stood down in the area after at about 7.15pm.

Two armed police officers were stationed at the Pinewoods entrance on Plantation Road.

We spoke to several residents in the area who reported hearing gunfire. Many said they heard three shots and then noticed armed police and a helicopter brought in. There were also reports of a taser being brought to the scene.

One woman said she’d heard three gun shots but didn’t think such things happened in Harrogate so she assumed it was a car backfiring and went swimming.

The armed officers on Plantation Road.

Another person said a residents’ what’s app group had been going crazy with people wanting to know what was going on, as the Pinewoods is a popular local beauty spot.

But so far the police have remained silent and it is not known if anyone was hurt or if any arrests have been made.

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